1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to neckties and, more particularly, concerns a method of tying neckties that enables users to achieve a right length of the final appearance of the tie as worn around the user's neck. The method permits the user to consistently achieve a desired length of the tie during subsequent retyings regardless of the user's anatomical features, the type of knot that user employs, the degree of tightness of the knot, the type of material the tie is made of, and the length of a given tie. The invention in its preferred form includes using a commercially available flexible adhesive element such as VELCRO.RTM. to offer the additional advantage of preventing flapping or separation of the two ends of the tie by holding them together.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A well-known problem confronting the art relating to wearing an aesthetically pleasing necktie is that of acheiving a desired length of the tie. It is a common experience that it often takes repeated attempts to tie a necktie of right length. By right length it is meant here the distance one desires to have from neck down to the tip of the wide end of the tie. This desired length can vary widely from one user to another depending on anatomical characteristics such as the length of one's torso and one's neck size as well as individual taste and judgment. The length is also influenced by the type of knot one uses, such as four-in-hand, half-Windsor or Windsor knot. This problem is compounded by the availability of ties in various lengths and fabrics.
A wide range of apparent solutions to the tying problem have been developed. For example, the U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,326,004 (Daily, Jr., Jul. 5, 1994), 4,845,857 (Klosterman, Jul. 11, 1989), and 4,682,419 (Lynch, Jul. 28, 1987) describe a measuring device to determine the correct position at which to tie the user's necktie. These devices are external to the tie, are often inconvenient to use, and, more importantly, are too complicated to be of practical use. The U.S. Pat. No. 5,105,553 (Weston, Apr. 21, 1992) attempted to solve the externality problem by attaching a gauge made of a strip of fabric attached to the inside of the tie. However, this method of tying is also difficult to follow.
The U.S. Pat. No. 3,946,444 (Farrilla, Mar. 30, 1976) traches a tie having holes or openings in its wide end, through which holes the narrow end can be inserted and pulled to adjust the tie length. But this method not only destroys the fabric but also affects the aesthetic appearance of the tie. The method described in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,088,118 (Whiteley, Feb. 18, 1992) consists of marking the tie in relation to a fixed position on the wearer's anatomy or apparel. However, this method also suffers from the lack of ease in application because several tries are needed to fix the position of the marker. Another solution (the U.S. Pat. No. 4,696,064, Morwood, Sep. 29, 1987) focused on the knot formation and required a commercially uncommon design. As a result, most, if not all, of the above solutions are of limited practical use and appear to have not been commercially successful.